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Constitution
Purpose The Sandspur’s core purpose is to be the most accurate, thorough, and interesting source of news for the Rollins College community. To uphold this mission, the staff members of The Sandspur will: *Assertively find and pursue high-interest stories that impact the reader, create discussion, and advance knowledge *Make all content as relevant to readers as possible *Create content that reflects the diverse interests of the Rollins College community *Adhere to The Sandspur’s ethical guidelines and foster the most professional environment possible at all levels *Become technical, ethical, and successful student journalists Article I – Name The name of this organization shall be The Sandspur. Article II – Dues and Finances Section 1. ''The Sandspur'' does not collect dues for membership. Section 2. 'The fiscal year of ''The Sandspur shall be from the start of the academic year to the end. Article III – Editorial Board '''Section 1. '''The Editorial Board of the organization shall be: #Editor-in-Chief #Production Manager #Managing Editor '''Section 2. The Editor-in-Chief has the right to add and remove Editorial Board members with the approval of the General Manager as necessary. Section 3. 'All student members of the organization are eligible to hold positions on the Editorial Board. '''Section 4. '''The term for the Editorial Board of ''The Sandspur is one school year. Editorial Board members can re-run for positions for the following school year. 'Section 5. '''An Editorial Board member can be fired through a petition created by a current staff member that includes signatures of ½ of the current staff members. After the petition has been filed with the faculty advisor, the faculty advisor will hold a trial. During the trial, the person filing the petition will present his or her case, and the Editorial Board member in question will present his or her case. Other members may speak afterwards for or against the member in question. A vote of 2/3rds of the members of ''The Sandspur to remove the Editorial Board member from a leadership role will result in that member stepping down from his or her position. The person could continue working at The Sandspur in a non-leadership role. '''Section 6. Graduating seniors make the final decision of which students are selected to fill the following term’s Editorial Board positions based on the criteria and process outlined in the policies section of The Sandspur handbook. Section 7. Unplanned vacancies of offices will be filled by short-term applications, interviews, and selection by the remaining Editorial Board. Article IV – Membership Section 1. 'Membership is open to any student of Rollins College and its affiliated schools. Membership is defined as all staff members of ''The Sandspur. Freelancers are considered contributors to but not members of The Sandspur. 'Section 2. '''It is the policy of ''The Sandspur to not discriminate on the basis of sex, disability, race, age, religion, color, national or ethnic origin, ancestry, marital status, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, genetic information, physical characteristics, or any other category protected by federal, state, or local law, in its educational programs, admissions policies, financial aid, employment, or other school-administered programs. The policy is enforced by Rollins and, where applicable, federal laws such as Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and the Age Discrimination Act of 1975. The College is an equal opportunity educational institution. Article V – Contributions '''Section 1. Any student, staff or faculty member, Winter Park community member, or individual otherwise affiliated with Rollins College may submit content to the paper. Section 2. ''The Sandspur'' reserves the right to reject any submissions on the basis of quality or content. The Sandspur reserves the right to edit any submissions for grammar, content, and style. Section 3. 'Acceptance and edits of submitted content will be determined by the Head Copy Editor and Head Content Editor with all final decisions made by the Editor-in-Chief. Article VI – Position Descriptions '''Section 1. '''Job descriptions of all Editorial Board positions, Executive Board positions, and staff positions can be found in ''The Sandspur handbook. '''Section 2. Freelance contributors consist of contributing writers, illustrators, and photographers to The Sandspur. Article VII – Operational Procedure Section 1. 'Regular public meetings will be held every Monday evening at 6 p.m. '''Section 2. '''Full operating policies for ''The Sandspur can be found in its handbook. Article VIII – Amendments '''Section 1. Amendments to this Constitution may be proposed by any staff member during meetings. '''Section 2. '''Amendments will be made with a 51% majority vote of Executive Board members. '''Section 3. '''Once the amendment has been approved, the new Constitution will be distributed to all members of the organization. Article IX – Duties of the Advisor '''Section 1. '''The faculty advisor’s main job is to provide guidance as needed to staff members, Executive Board members, and the Editorial Board as a whole.